Tiarella cordifolia cultivar Butterfly Wings.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Tiarella plant, botanically known as Tiarella cordifolia and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Butterfly Wingsxe2x80x99.
The new Tiarella is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Scottdale, Pa. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Tiarella cultivars having interesting leaf shape and attractive flower and leaf coloration.
The new Tiarella was discovered by the Inventor in a controlled environment in Scottdale, Pa., from seedling progeny from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in May, 1997, of the Tiarella cultivar Adagio, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unidentified selection of Tiarella cordifolia, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Tiarella was selected by the Inventor in June, 1998. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable leaf shape and coloration.
Asexual reproduction of the new Tiarella by cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Scottdale, Pa., since May, 1999, has shown that the unique features of this new Tiarella are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Butterfly Wings has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Butterfly Wingsxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Butterfly Wingsxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Full and densely foliated; mounded plant habit.
2. Palmately lobed green-colored leaves with dark red purple central blotch; leaves simple or compound with development.
3. Numerous light pink showy flowers arranged on dense racemes.
4. Excellent garden performance.
Plants of the new Tiarella can be compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Adagio. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Scottdale, Pa., plants of the new Tiarella differed from plants of the cultivar Adagio in the following characteristics:
1. Leaves of plants of the new Tiarella were smooth whereas leaves of plants of the cultivar Adagio were rugose or xe2x80x9cquiltedxe2x80x9d.
2. Leaves of plants of the new Tiarella had angled lobes whereas leaves of plants of the cultivar Adagio had rounded lobes.
3. Plants of the new Tiarella had simple and compound leaves whereas plants of the cultivar Adagio only had simple leaves.
Plants of the new Tiarella differed primarily from plants of the male parent, the unidentified Tiarella selection, in leaf shape.
Plants of the new Tiarella can be compared to plants of the cultivar Elizabeth Oliver, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Scottdale, Pa., plants of the new Tiarella differed from plants of the cultivar Elizabeth Oliver in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Tiarella had smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Elizabeth Oliver.
2. Upper leaf surfaces of plants of the new Tiarella had dark red purple central blotches whereas upper leaf surfaces of plants of the cultivar Elizabeth Oliver had dark red purple markings mostly along the main veins.
3. Plants of the new Tiarella had simple and compound leaves whereas plants of the cultivar Elizabeth Oliver only had simple leaves.
4. Plants of the new Tiarella were not as freely flowering as plants of the cultivar Elizabeth Oliver.
Plants of the new Tiarella can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Tiger Stripe, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Scottdale, Pa., plants of the new Tiarella differed from plants of the cultivar Tiger Stripe in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Tiarella were shorter than plants of the cultivar Tiger Stripe.
2. Plants of the new Tiarella had smaller leaves with shorter petioles than plants of the cultivar Tiger Stripe.
3. Upper leaf surfaces of plants of the new Tiarella had dark red purple central blotches whereas upper leaf surfaces of plants of the cultivar Tiger Stripe had irregular dark purple markings.
4. Plants of the new Tiarella had simple and compound leaves whereas plants of Tiger Stipe only had simple leaves.